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Stand Your Ground Laws

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Stand Your Ground Laws
Stand Your Ground Law On February 26, 2012, the 17 year old Trayvon Martin was fatally shot by George Zimmerman in Sanford, Florida. After the shooting, Zimmerman wasn't arrested because of the "Stand Your Ground" laws. This sparked concerns and feelings during the trial and after. This paper will examine the "Stand Your Ground" laws in all aspects. Through this careful examination it will be revealed that the "Stand Your Ground" laws was relevant in the Zimmerman trial. The "Stand Your Ground" laws are laws that allow people to defend themselves with deadly force, rather than retreating, if they feel they are in danger or a serious felony is about to be committed. This law was present in Zimmerman's trial briefly and that was when he didn't get arrested right away. However, Zimmerman was arrested on April 11, 2012 because the police found evidence that proved that it didn't have anything to do with the "Stand Your Ground" laws. In the court, the lawyers for Zimmerman didn't base their defense on the law, instead since Zimmerman had no option of retreat, so therefore the "Stand Your Ground” didn't apply in the court of law. The Stand Your Ground law was primarily passed in Florida.

Since Florida introduce its Stand Your Ground (SYG) law in 2005, another seventeen states have passed some version of a SYG law which contains a section granting immunity from criminal persecution to individuals using defensive or deadly force in venues beyond homes. With a strong backing by the National Rifle Association (NRA), proponents of the SYG laws argue that they would have to derrent effect on crime. Since 2005, there have been risen concern that these laws give too much freedom to private citizens to use deadly force, making them a license to kill rather than a protective measure. It has been argued that these laws are open to abuse by those engaged in illegal activities or those with criminal records and may lead to an increased number of people
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